


watercolor sunset

by puppethandsyndrome



Series: dsmp drabbles n such [3]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Captivity, Clay | Dream is Bad at Feelings, Father Figures, Fluff and Angst, Gift Giving, Im so sorry lmao, Kidapping, Loneliness, Manipulative Relationship, Mental Breakdown, Mentioned Wilbur Soot, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ram Hybrid Toby Smith | Tubbo, Sort Of, Spiralling, Toby Smith | Tubbo Deserves Better, TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Traumatized Tommyinnit (Video Blogging RPF), Watercolors, Worried Toby Smith | Tubbo, but he does care abt tommy specifically, dream isnt exactly sympathetic, even if its from dream lmao, go away!!, however in the series there may be romance between CONSENTING ADULTS, if youre a "proshipper" or whatever yall freaks n pedophiles r calling yourselves now, it doesnt come up much i dont think but, its there!!, kind of stockholme syndrome-y??, not romantic ya nasty fucks, philza is mentioned a few times, tommy kinda needs any company he can get, tommy misses his friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:13:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28897956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puppethandsyndrome/pseuds/puppethandsyndrome
Summary: tommy hates being all alone here. he misses wilbur, and tubbo and all his friends. he misses the boisterous, happy atmosphere that was always in the air. but the only person he ever sees now is the one he hates. who maybe isnt that horrible after all.disclaimer- i do not ship the real life people, this is a work of fiction, please dont send this to the ccs, and if any of them are uncomfortable this will be taken down.cowritten with @sinnyboialso im sO FUXKING SORRY ABT THE CAPITALIZATION WEIRDNESS ITS GONNA GET BETTER I SWEAR
Series: dsmp drabbles n such [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2116095
Comments: 10
Kudos: 115





	1. gift

Tommy doesn’t like the quiet. It never was quiet. It wasn’t like home, no matter how many pictures he hangs up. Quiet isn’t the sound of Wilbur bursting through the door, with some new complaint to drop on the younger sibling. Quiet isn’t the sound of Tubbo’s exasperated bickering. Quiet isn’t the sound when it comes to Tommy, the sound of a brother talking him out of doing something regrettable. Quiet is not home. Tommy is not quiet. 

If he’s quiet, is he still Tommy? 

“I’m back, Tomathy.”

Damn. he thought he wouldn't be getting his _visitor_ this late in the day.

Of course, the only time when it isn't deathly quiet is when _he_ comes to visit. Honestly, company is nice, but Dream.. Dream is nowhere close to nice.

Tommy would honestly rather be left alone to spiral into his thoughts forever.

But apparently Dream wants to “give him some company here.” yeah, right. He just wants to psychologically torture Tommy. 

“..Hi.” He mutters, barely bothering to look back at the man looming over him. 

“I, um. I have something for you.” Dream says. That’s surprising. A gift is… unusual. But even stranger is his tone. He seems almost unsure.

Dream is never unsure. He always has the upper hand, always cocky and confident. Why is he losing that now?

Tommy looks up to see a small light blue rectangular metallic box in Dream’s hands. Hes twisting his fingers together, a nervous tic. 

He seems to notice Tommy staring, because he stops moving his fingers and clears his throat. The sudden noise startles the boy, but he disguises his flinch as getting up to take the box.

Dream hands it over and looks at his empty hands for a moment, then at Tommy, apparently to gauge his reaction.

Tommy opened the box and is greeted with… a bunch of little colored squares??

And then he sees the paintbrushes, and figures it out.

Dream, his captor, who obviously hates him… _bought him a watercolor set???_

“Do you like it?” the masked one says, quieter than his normal tone. Tommy tries to fight back any emotions, he knows Dream will just use them against him, but when he looks up at the smiling glassy expression, a tiny smile appears on his face.

“Yeah. i do like it. Thanks.”

And if he puts a very specific smiley face on every character he paints on the watercolor paper Dream got him- well, its only because its simple and easy to recreate.

At least a hobby helps keep his mind off the awful silence.


	2. whoops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> damnit, dream has fucking feelings
> 
> again, written with @sinnyboi

Dream gets.. curious one night. and he looks at the paintings Tommy keeps next to his bed. he’s very annoyed to see some- albeit sloppily painted- familiar faces. Techno, standing next to Wilbur and what looks like a younger Tommy. Like a small child’s rendition of a family photo. 

Dream shakes his head, the specifics of the paintings dont matter. What matters is that Tommy is still thinking about his old family. Dream really needs to drill it into him- _attachment makes you weak_. It lets people control you. He stifles a laugh as he realizes thats exactly what he’s counting on, he needs to be able to control Tommy. But still. 

when Tommy wakes up, the paintings are gone. but theres a brand new sketchbook and some nice colored pens in its place, so it’s fine.

Tommy could have sworn he put the photographs of Big Q and Tubbo under his pillow. he couldn’t have misplaced them. They were his only valuable possessions, aside from the watercolors. They were all he had left of the people he loved. 

And then he sees them. Lying on the floor, shredded, with only tiny portions of Tubbo’s smile or Q’s eyes peeking out. His heart stops. His body feels almost frozen, like his blood has stopped pumping.

“oh, damn, theyre all scratched and ripped up. looks like an animal or something got to them.” says Dream, his voice a carefully practiced monotone.

Dream knew Tommy would be absolutely devastated. he’d cry and scream because he knows Dream is the one who did this. and Dream wold act perfectly innocent. He has years of practice for this. 

“Dream, what the fuck? Why would you do that, those were everything i had left of Tubbo and Q-”

"Tommy, really, why were you keeping those in the first place? they betrayed you, Tommy. they dont deserve for you to care so much about them." he saw Tommy’s small shoulders slump and he lost the passionate anger. Dream had won this little spat, like he always did.

“..i know, Dream.” 

“attachment makes you weak, Tommy. you’ve gotta be strong with me.”

"but i miss them.." 

"i know Tommy. i know. its difficult to separate yourself from them, they were important to you. but they would use that to hurt you. and you dont want to be hurt, do you, Tommy?" 

"no. i dont want to be hurt." 

"alright, then just listen to me. you can be strong, i know you can. i believe in you, Tommy."

A week later, Tommy catches himself missing Philza. He wishes his dad was here, so he could bury his face in the strong shoulder and just cry. He wishes Philza could just make everything okay again.. but he’s not weak anymore, he can’t miss Philza! maybe it’s not even Philza himself but.. the idea of him. Dream listens to Tommy rant about it that night, inwardly pleased that Tommy’s “rehabilitation” as hes calling it is coming along so well.

“it’s just... yknow what i mean, _**dad**_?” 

Dream sucks in a breath. Hes glad the mask hides his face, because whatever expression he’s making probably isnt good. He goes on autopilot, making a moment of small talk with Tommy, who obviously doesnt realize what he just said. He says good night.

and then he goes to his room, in the little house he sort of  _ shares with Tommy _ , who just called him  _ dad _ , who has been getting increasingly comfortable around Dream, and he sits on his bed, fists crumpling the blankets, and he stares at the wall.

because what the  _ fuck, _ man, this is not what he signed up for when he became intent on having all the power.

but the worst part is that he  _ isnt really mad at it. _

And how in the world does he broach this subject with the boy in the next room over?

so.. Dream does what he's best at, and he leaves Tommy there for a good week. Just to clear his mind. he goes to a special place he has, with a small cabin, far from the tent and even farther from L’Manberg. and when he finally comes back, he realizes something is very wrong. there’s papers ripped up everywhere, scattered to the wind, covered in shaky writing. There are smiley faces that grew more and more wavering with time, all over Tommy’s bedframe, and walls, and even his arms, and a hunched figure under a fleece blanket. he can hear shaky breaths from inside the tent. he forgot to tell Tommy he was leaving.

but for some reason Dream has a little bit of a hard time fitting Tommy neatly into the  _ weak _ category like he usually does when theres one of these… breakdowns.

Instead, he sighs and takes his boots off. And he walks over the the silhouette under the blanket, and he awkwardly places a hand on Tommy’s quivering shoulder.

The shaking stops for a moment, and then the boy leans into Dream’s touch.

Dream is freaking out a little. Obviously he needs to do  _ something, _ but hes never really been good at comfort. Hes never needed that skill before. 

The crisis is averted when Dream realizes Tommy has fallen asleep in the long moments that Dream has been deliberating his next move. But now another problem has arisen. What happens now?

The hoodie-clad man sighs as he comes to the conclusion that he cant move now. Tommy is clutching his arm, and its not endearing. At all. Dream hates this newfound dependence that Tommy has on him and absolutely  _ hates _ being a source of comfort.

He hates it so much that he sits down next to Tommy and lets the boy use him as a pillow.

And when, the next morning, Tommy wakes up and realizes the position they’re in and rushes to get away, obviously scared that Dream does not approve, he doesnt at  _ all  _ miss the fluffy head of hair resting against his shoulder, breath hitting his collarbone.

Dream tells these mushy thoughts to fuck right off, and goes to make Tommy breakfast.


	3. visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> its been forever since tubbo saw tommy. he just wants to go visit his best friend.

Tubbo and Quackity are out from L’manburg for a day. it’s been.. oh god, how long has it been since... well. Fundy’s in the office, managing whatever duties would’ve been thrown at Tubbo. 

He figured, it’s been a year. It’d do Tubbo and Quackity good if they got to say their goodbye to Tommy. Well. At least if they got to see where Tommy.. was, all that time alone. 

Quackity excuses himself, says he wants to go check out the beach side. Apparently he saw some chairs or something, it’s too far to tell. Tubbo appreciates the obvious gift, Quackity is letting him see Tommy alone.

They expect a lot of things. They expect to see a massive, cobblestone tower. They expect to see Tommy’s tent in shambles. They don’t really expect to see a newly lit campfire, cans of.. something, diet cola?, scattered around the land, and they don’t expect a neat little cabin with torches lit from the inside. They look at each other, a nervousness in their expressions. Something feels wrong here. Where did Tommy get all this? The kid’s house in the server is a pile of dirt, why in the world would he spend the time and energy on this, when his tent sufficed?

If there’s only one person staying in the house, why is it so  _ large _ ?

Tubbo cant stay hung up on it for long, though. He's about to see his best friend again!! His steps get faster until he's running toward the cottage.

The smell of smoke and ash creeps from the window, Tubbo notices, as he presses his forehead against it like a small child looking outside. the cold glass squishes his nose, and his breath makes it cloud up. His eyes wander in the room, sure, it’s a bit creepy but he’s curious! 

He’s especially curious as to why he sees Tommy sitting on the floor, besides that  _ man _ , the one who took away two of his lives. No, not curious. Scared. What in the world is Dream doing here? Has he hurt Tommy? Is his friend safe? His breath picks up without him knowing, and he automatically takes a step back from the window. He walks to the door of the cabin, and knocks twice. He stands on the doorstep, fists clenched and eyes wide. The door opens after only a moment, and there he is.

Tommy is wearing a large red sweater, one Tubbo has never seen, and a normal pair of jeans. His socks are fluffy and seem to keep out the cold well. His eyes are bright and happy, cheeks flushed from the winter wind. He looks like a kid again, like exile has washed away the wars and the pain, leaving the boy Tommy used to be. Tubbo missed this Tommy, before the discs and before Dream’s games.

That happiness drops in an instant when his eyes flash with recognition. He steps backwards, suddenly looking terrified, and then he stands tall. No longer scared- he looks  _ furious. _

The kind of fury Tommy is showing has never been directed at Tubbo. He's seen it many times, of course, but always towards someone else. Dream. Jschlatt. But never his best friend. 

Now he understands. He understands why all those enemies seemed taken aback by this kid. This fury, this pure rage, is scary as hell. Tommy's anger is like.. a sword. Tubbo never thought that it would be aimed at him. 

He’s knocked out of his own thoughts by a voice from inside the cabin. It feels familiar, but Tubbo can't place it. 

“Tommy? Who’s at the door?” it says, and he hears steps coming toward the door. Before he can even think about running from whoever is living with his best friend, the man is already standing in the doorway, silhouetted for a moment against the warm and cozy light behind him before the harsh winter sun glancing off the snow shows the one person Tubbo could never guess was here. The boy sucks in a breath.

“ _ Dream? _ ” 

What the hell was Dream doing here? Was Tommy safe? And why in  _ fuck  _ was Tommy stepping closer to the man, burying himself in the electric green sweater?

Tubbo felt light headed. The sounds of the world around him were muted and dull, everything blurry except a smiling mask towering over him.

He didn’t feel the wind and frost biting at his skin, crawling under the wool sleeves of his coat. He didn't feel himself slump, knees giving out. He didn't feel his body being picked up and carried inside. He was already unconscious by then. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RTFGXJYUFJIGU FUCK YALL
> 
> ok first- very very sorry for the like, week of no updates, i kinda had some shit going on w school an family. i dont really have an update schedule but ill try to post at LEAST once a week. also-
> 
> holy shit yall. my stuff kinda blew up and like. huge thanks to everyone whos reading this and commenting and giving kudos, this is the first time any of my stuff has goten this much interaction and it means a lot to me :3


	4. screaming mind, silent lips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tubbo talks to dream. tommy eavesdrops and fights with his traitorous mind.
> 
> in case its not obvious, the crossed out italics are tommys thoughts that he is repressing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ngl i completely fell of the writing wagon im sorry, this is kinda late but im on break from school for like 2 weeks!! ill most likely get to post some extra updates. h o w e v e r, my school reopens after break so i might get slower after that.
> 
> ik capitalization is weird throughout the story. i dont capitalize anything most of the time, while sin does, and we try to even it out but shits whack sometimes
> 
> also this honestly was mostly written by sinnyboi cause writers block is a bitch. she got down most of it, i wrote the end and added a bunch throughout. idk if its noticeable, our writing styles arent that different i think?? lmk if its annoying.
> 
> as usual, please comment and leave kudos if u like it!! seeing them is super motivating. and thank yall so much for the attention this is getting!! please leave constructive criticism, and maybe suggest things for future chapters? i love giving the people what they want lmao
> 
> have a good week!! :)

Tommy found himself going down the stairs, hands gripping the railing to prevent any unnecessary sounds. Should he be doing this? Well, if Dream said to stay put, it’s probably for good reason, but Tommy hadn’t any room in his head for reasoning. Plus, it wouldn’t kill to satiate his curiosity just this once. He pads quietly to the basement’s door, pressing his ear against the cold oak. Tommy is cold a lot. Better the reason to _stay near the fireplace_ . Stupid child. He’s being disobedient, and nobody likes when he doesnt listen. ~~_They've showed it in the past, his own idiocy is the reason tubbo put him here in the first place-_ ~~ snapping out of his internal monologue, muffling the screaming voices, he shuts up and listens _~~for once~~_. 

Two voices come from below, one agitated, higher pitched and a little raspy, and the other a more lower, passive sounding tone, and they’re bickering over.. Something. Bits of the conversation are blown one ear out of the other, and the blonde scrunches his nose a bit to separate the faint ringing in his ears from their words. 

  
  


“ _No, no -----, you don’t get it. Listen to me.”_

_“I AM LISTENING! You’re absolutely mad!”_

The squeakier voice, Tommy thinks to himself, is thankfully yelling. But he’d be lying if he’d tell anyone that it didn’t scare him. It’s a familiar sound. A sound Tommy never wanted to hear again, after listening to it go on, and on, about how much Tommy _ruined_ his country, how Tommy is an issue, a matter to resolve-

“ _Dream. Please just let me talk to him, that’s all I came here to do.”_

_There’s a pause down below, Tubbo’s plea echoing for a moment around the mildew ridden concrete room._

_“Get out, Toby,”_

The conversation arrives to an end, Tommy assumes, Tubbo finally accepting defeat and fucking off. He’s.. relieved. He thinks. As he scurries off back upstairs, not caring too much about the obvious sound of his footsteps, there’s a pit in his stomach. Not fear. Tommy knows what fear is, he’s looked fear in it’s eyes and called it a bitch. This was something Tommy only brushed hands with once or twice before. The feeling of when your older brother is ranting about how he needs to _cleanse_ L’manburg, and you beg, you plead, you cry for him to gather his senses, but oh, no, no no no, his mind is intent on setting your world ablaze and leaving you to crumble like the home you built, turned to ash. The feeling of when your best friend is gripping you by the arm, as you stumble across an obsidian wall, bargaining your citizenship with the enemy. Oh, and you beg, you plead, you cry, for him to rethink it, because it was you and him, always. It was you two against the evil, against the world! But he’s set on selling you off to the enemy. Resigning his role as a friend in return for power, ~~_just like sch-_ ~~. The feeling of.. 

Tommy isn’t a poet. Hes never been good at writing, that was always wilbur’s forte. He doesn't have a dictionary in his head and he doesn't know how to string the syllables into that kind of elegance. One word rings in his mind, throughout those events, and he classifies it as one thing and one thing only. _Dread_ . What a god awful feeling, the feeling of being utterly helpless to your circumstances, while all these other pricks are out of their minds high off of power, gained through betrayal, ~~_gained through tommys sacrifice-_ ~~ back in L’manberg. The feeling of dread is always followed by destruction. Destruction of a country, destruction of a family, destruction of a friendship, ~~_destruction of a boy once rash and reckless reduced to something akin to a pet-_ ~~. He sighs, and his breath seems to come out as smoke in the chilly room. Hes hated smoke since wilbur. His brother and that godforsaken trench coat always smelt of gunpowder and fire. He wishes he could destroy the memories. Then this would just be a random boy, a stranger arguing with his friend in the basement. 

  
He sighs again as he trudges to his room. When dream ~~_his captor-_ ~~ his friend comes in, he pretends to be asleep. He doesnt want to deal with this right now. He finally drops off late at night, and thankfully it is dreamless. ~~_He wishes everything were Dreamless._ ~~


End file.
